Animehas a reputation for being complex and multilayered when it comes to lore, political intrigue, and storylines. On the other hand, there’s a lot of anime that focuses on adventure, visuals, and the characters instead of trying to be clever or cerebral. Not every animated Japanese cartoon has to be about decades of political intrigue, networks of secret death robots, or cloning projects intended to hasten the Apocolypse.
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Everyone needs to turn off their brain sometimes, and, for fans of anime, there are plenty of great shows to choose from that don’t make the viewer think too much. Those who are less familiar with the world of Japanese cartoons needn’t be afraid of enjoying something different. With all the streaming services producing as much anime as they can while the genre is trending, there’s plenty of new stuff that’s also available, most of which isn’t nearly as complicated as it looks.
7JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
It’s a classic story ofjealousy and rivalry throughout the ages, combined with some unique visuals and fantastic elements like vampires and time travel.JoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis a great show with some interesting things to say, but it just says them without a lot of riddles or secrets.
Dio Brando was always the bad guy, despite being perfectly crafted as a sympathetic character, with no room for doubt or double-crossing. The rivalry between him and generations of JoJo’s was the same consistent storyline throughout the series and it was always a breeze to follow.
6Redline
Redlineoffers a simple story with some amazing animation courtesy of the artists at Madhouse. Sweet JP is a greaser with an equally slick ride, and he won’t stop until he wins the race and gets the girl. If that’s not impressive enough, viewers should ensure the sound system is at maximum to enjoy an equally great soundtrack that is just as famous.
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The whole cast consists of only a few main characters and follows a mostly linear timeline, other than a few old-school flashback scenes. There’s a story here about a car race and the mob or something that’s kind of interesting, too.
5Sailor Moon
The opinion here depends on the localization, with the English version having some morecomplex dialogue changed, dumbed down, or left out entirely. Either way, this is one of the least complicated magical girl anime series available when it comes to characters and lore.
The magical girl genre is often a convoluted mess with few outside frames of reference and a whole lot of backstory.Sailor Moonis based on ancient Greek mythology and the actual order of the planets in the solar system. These are cultural and scientific points of reference worldwide, so everyone who sits down to this has some idea of where it came from and where it’s going.
4Bastard!!
The full title of this series isBastard!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy. If it still sounds too serious, viers need only wait until that badass 1980s heavy rock soundtrack rolls through the credits. The “heavy metal” part is more likely a reference to that classic cartoon given the subject matter.
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Fantasy doesn’t get much lower than this, including a lot of convenient nudity and generally lewd and medieval behavior. The series follows the arc and personality of the main character that also names the show. He’s a vulgar person and this is an equally uncomplicated show.
3Record Of Ragnarok
Other than a few cool historic references that nobody has to understand,Record of Ragnarokis a fighting game brought to life in animated form. This is advertised as a serious show, but it’s a satire of itself, and even though there are gods and famous heroes involved, the dialogue and action are mostly comedic.
Some of the jokes land pretty well, making fun of the gods, their rules, and their hypocrisy. Other than that though, it’s more yelling than fighting. Often the matches are compromised by some trick or contradiction, likethe first fight between Thorand Lü Bu ofThree Kingdoms in Chinafame. These fighters are both famous for putting down their opponents with one hit, so how do they even get started?
2Blood Of Zeus
The title gives part of the plot away so the viewer doesn’t have to figure it out. There aren’t a lot of hurdles to jump with this storyline, to begin with. It’s the ancient trope of the abandoned child who discovers he has divine ancestry and goes from there.
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The story mostly focuses on family drama with only a few references to ancient myths or history. It doesn’t embellish ancient Greek myths to the point of being confusing either. It looks great and the music is decent, ensuring that viewers don’t have to think too hard as they watch.
1Pokemon
Gotta catch ‘em all. It’s cute and fun, but stepping back from the whole endeavor makes it seem like useless busywork. If the viewer stops to think about the point, the show loses all meaning, so it’s better to just not think about it.
The technology of this parallel universe doesn’t make any sense either, but this doesn’t matter because the adventures of Ash Ketchum are compelling enough on their own. He’s such a likable main character that simply following his adventures negates the need for a more complex plot.
